A biosensor may be denoted as a device which may be used for the detection of an analyte and may combine a biological component with a physicochemical or physical detector component.
Rapid, reliable and inexpensive characterization of polymers, particularly nucleic acids, has become increasingly important. A high-throughput device that can probe and directly read, at the single-molecule level, hybridization state, base stacking, and sequence of a cell's key biopolymers such as DNA, RNA and even proteins, will dramatically alter the pace of biological development. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,782 discloses that a voltage bias could drive single-stranded charged polynucleotides through a 1-2 nanometer transmembrane channel in a lipid bilayer. Data in the form of variations in channel ionic current provide insight into the characterization and structure of biopolymers at the molecular and atomic levels. The passage of an individual strand through the channel could be observed as a transient decrease in ionic current. Experiments using biological membranes and pores have demonstrated extraordinary electronic sensitivity to the structure of translocating molecules.
However, conventional methods and devices may still exhibit some problems concerning the reliability of the characterizations or distinguishing different components of a fluidic sample.